


Yearly Preen

by Jathis



Series: The Steward and the Sorcerer [57]
Category: Sofia the First (Cartoon)
Genre: Familiars, Fluff, Gen, Slice of Life, Wing Grooming, preening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28671030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jathis/pseuds/Jathis
Summary: Rosemary has gone through her molt and needs help with those pesky pin feathers!
Series: The Steward and the Sorcerer [57]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091021
Kudos: 2





	Yearly Preen

Rosemary had gone through her yearly molt. Most of her feathers had been collected to be used for ingredients with a few fallen tail feathers taken to be turned into quills. Magpies were considered the most connected to magic among the corvidae, making their feathers highly prized among the magical community. Cedric took care to get her permission before taking them, having heard stories of feathers being cursed for being taken against the bird’s will.

The sorcerer looked up from his cauldron when he heard a rustling sound. “Rosemary?” He turned and watched as the magpie tried not to look very obvious as she tried to rub her head against the corner of his desk. “Are the pins ready to be taken off?”

The magpie made a faint noise, walking over to the edge of his desk. Flecks of pin sheaths already dotted her body, signs of her own work preening herself. At the top of her head there was a fairly large amount of pin feathers close together.

“Oh that does look pretty bad,” Cedric said. He set his things down and walked over, sitting down at his desk. “Poor Rosemary! Your head must be so itchy!” 

Rosemary bowed her head, pressing it against his hand. Pin feathers were always a menace in her opinion. She wanted them out as soon as possible!

Cedric smiled and set to work. He started to scratch the top of her head, moving carefully through her feathers. He focused mostly on the top of her head and then scratched around her neck. “Look at that. This must be such a relief for you, hm?”

The magpie chattered in response, her eyes closed in relief. Flecks of white fell from her feathers where Cedric scratched, leaving behind brand new feathers. She needed a moment to scratch at her head with her foot but then went back to Cedric.

“Almost,” he whispered. He leaned forward and softly blew on her. The flecks and remains of the pin sheaths came off, leaving her with her black and white feathers. “There we are…” Cedric checked her body with his fingers for any pin feathers he had missed, brushing her feathers back. He blew on her feathers once again and smiled as he sat up. “Finished!”

Rosemary fluffed up her feathers and gave herself a fierce shake. Happily she fluttered to Cedric’s shoulder and she started to preen his own hair in gratitude.

“You look gorgeous as always,” he said as he stood up, going back to his cauldron with the bird on his shoulder.


End file.
